Dialogue excerpt

Antonia 2022-04-21 09:01:03

So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that. If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms "visiting hours" don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you... I don't see an intelligent, confident man... I see a cocky, scared shitless kid. But you're a genius Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presume to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my fucking life apart.

You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some fuckin' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don 't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.

Liberty is a soul's right to breathe.

Every day I come by your house and I pick you up. And we go out. We have a few drinks, and a few laughs, and it's great. But you know what the best part of my day is? For about ten seconds, from when I pull up to the curb and when I get to your door, 'cause I think, maybe I'll get up there and I'll knock on the door and you won't be there. No goodbye. No see you later. No nothing. You just left. I don't know much, but I know that.

Will: Yeah, I went on a date last week. Sean: How'd it go? Will: It was good. Sean: Going out again? Will: I don't know. Sean: Why not? Will: Haven't called her. Sean: Christ, you're an amateur. Will: I know what I'm doing. Sean: Yeah. Will: Yeah. Don't worry about me. I know what I'm doin'. Yeah, but this girl is like, you know, beautiful. She's smart. She's funny. She's different from most of the other girls I've been with. Sean: So, call her up, Romeo. Will:Why? So I can realize she's not that smart, that she's fuckin' boring? Y'know--I mean...this girl is like fuckin' perfect right now, I don't wanna ruin that. Sean: Maybe you' re perfect right now. Maybe you don't want to ruin that. I think that's a super philosophy, Will. That way you can go through your entire life without ever having to really know anybody. My wife used to fart when she was nervous . She had all sorts of wonderful idiosyncrasies. You know what? She used to fart in her sleep. Sorry I shared that with you. One night it was so loud it woke the dog up. She woke up and gone like "oh was that you?" I'd say yeah...I didn't have the heart to tell her...Oh God... [laughing] Will: She woke herself up? Sean:Yesssss. Oh Christ....aahhh, but, Will, she's been dead two years and that's the shit I remember. Wonderful stuff, you know, little things like that. Ah, but, those are the things I miss the most. The little idiosyncrasies that only I knew about. That's what made her my wife. Oh, and she had the goods on me, too, she knew all my little peccadillos. People call these things imperfections, but they're not, aw, that's the good stuff. And then we get to choose who we let in to our weird little worlds. You're not perfect, sport. And let me save you the suspense. This girl you met, she isn't perfect either. But the question is: whether or not you're perfect for each other. That's the whole deal. That's what intimacy is all about. Now you can know everything in the world, sport, but the only way you're findin' out that one is by givin' it a shot. You certainly won't learn from an old fucker like me. Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell a piss ant like you. [Will smiles] Will: Why not? You told me every other fuckin' thing. Jesus Christ. You talk more than any shrink I ever met. [Sean laughs] Sean: I teach this shit, I didn't say I knew how to do it. [pause] Will: Yeah...you ever think about gettin' remarried? Sean: My wife's dead. Will: Hence, the word remarried. Sean: My wife's dead. [pause] Will: Yeah .. Well, I think that's a super philosophy, Sean. I mean that way you could actually go through the rest of your life without ever really knowing anybody. [A pause. Sean smiles ironically.] Sean: Time's up.

View more about Good Will Hunting reviews

Extended Reading
  • Ernest 2022-03-22 09:01:03

    A deeply inspiring movie, very inspirational

  • Darius 2021-10-20 18:58:08

    You are young and sturdy. If I talk about war with you, you can throw Shakespeare to me and recite "Go to the battle together, dear friend", but you have never been in battle, and you have never tried to hold your close friend's head in your arms. Here, watching him take his last breath, staring at you, and asking you for help. Don't think that I know you. Maybe I can see you through "knowledge", but that's not you. Unless you are willing to talk about yourself, I don't know who you are.

Good Will Hunting quotes

  • Sean: [in Sean's office] One night her fart was so loud it woke the dog up, she woke up and said," was that you?" I said "yeah", I didn't have the heart to tell her

    Will: [laughing] So she woke herself up?

    Sean: [laughing] Yeah, She's been dead two years and that's the shit I remember wonderful stuff these are the things I miss the most these idiosyncrasies that only I know that's what made her my wife and she had the goods on me too she knew all my peccadillos people call these things imperfections that's the good stuff that's what intimacy is all about the only way you find that out is giving it a shot

  • Lambeau: [in Gerald's office] What happened at the MacNeil meeting?

    Will: Oh, I couldn't go. I had a date, so I sent my chief negotiator.

    Lambeau: On your own time you can do whatever you'd like Will, but when I set up a meeting with my associates and you don't show up, it reflects poorly on me.

    Will: Well then don't set up any more meetings.

    Lambeau: Well, I won't. I'll cancel them. I'd give you a job myself, I just wanted you to see what was out there.

    Will: Look, maybe I don't want to spend the rest of my fucking life sitting around and explaining shit to people.

    Lambeau: I think you could show me some appreciation.

    Will: A little appreciation?

    [Will picks up the math sheet]

    Will: Do you know how easy this is for me? Do you have any fucking idea how easy this is? This is a fucking joke! And I'm sorry you can't do this, I really am because I wouldn't have to fucking sit here and watch you fumble around and fuck it up.

    Lambeau: Then you'd have more time to sit around and get drunk instead, wouldn't you?

    Will: You're right, this is probably a total waste of my time

    [Will lights the math sheet on fire]

    Lambeau: [Runs and grabs the math sheet to blow out the fire] You're right Will. I can't do this proof. But you can, and when it comes to that it's only about... it's just a handful of people in the world who can tell the difference between you and me. But I'm one of them.

    Will: Sorry.

    Lambeau: Yeah, so am I. Most days I wish I never met you. Because then I could sleep at night, and I wouldn't... and I wouldn't have to walk around with the knowledge that there's someone like you out there.

    [Will leaves the room]

    Lambeau: I didn't have to watch you throw it all away.